Sunday, August 05, 2007

What I've Been Working on Lately

I've been away from my blog lately, attending the latest San Diego Comic Con, so I've been a bit lax in posting new art. Now that I'm more or less recovered from the insanity of SDCC, I thought I'd share some info on the new projects I've been working on lately.

Firstly, I'm still hard at work on my 'dream-project' -- a graphic novel of short stories told in comic book format. All the stories are what would be described as 'contemporary fiction' -- meaning they're really just straight fiction without zombies or dinosaurs or rocketships (not that I don't like all those things!). I've been working on it on and off for the last few months, and its been a great experience. The book is projected to be about 150 pages long, comprised of 5 short stories written and drawn by me, each about 30 pages in length. I've never worked on anything this big before, so its been a bit daunting working on something where I can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel. In the past, most of my comic stuff has been 2-6 pages in length per story, so working on even a 30 pager seems really long to me. Still, since I'm getting the chance to write it myself, I'm really enjoying the opportunity to tell my own stories. The page shown here is from the book, and its the first page of one of the stories. Once I get 2 or 3 stories completed for it, I'm hoping to shop it around and find a publisher for the book.

Secondly, I've been asked to join the fine cartoonists at Transmission X and contribute a strip for their web-comics project. To make it easier for me, they've allowed me to post a new self-contained 4 page story each month, instead doing it weekly like the rest of the gang. I've already completed my first story for it, and will debut it at the upcoming Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) on August 18th. After working on a lot of longer stories lately, I'm really enjoying the opportunity to write short 4 pagers. For those who haven't checked out the excellent work being done by the Transmission X guys, I urge you to visit the site and check it for yourself.

Finally, I'm still working on a lot of my regular editorial illustration assignments, and trying to get caught up after taking a week away to go to San Diego. So, with all that on my plate, I've been slow in updating this blog, and for that...well, my apologies once again!

That's it for me for now -- hopefully, I'll have some other work to show on a more regular basis!

I love your work and this page from your dream project looks stunning. I can't imagine you not finding a publisher....Drawn & Quarterly comes to mind. I'm sure you've heard of them. They publish some great stuff. I've never been to Comic Con, but I hear it's overwhelming eye-candy overload (!). Maybe someday I'll be able to check it out. Keep up the great work!

bill nolan: thanks, Bill. I love Adhouse books too -- I actually had a short 2 pager in their "project:romantic" anthology that came out last year. And Chris Pitzer is a great guy.

Maura: thanks for the kind words, Maura. I also love the stuff that D&Q put out -- they're a really fabulous publisher and most of their stuff is really high quality. As for comic con -- yeah, overload is exactly the right word for it!

Jason: thanks, Jason. I didn't know you were at comic con! It woulda been great to hook up and have a drink at the Hyatt bar. Maybe next time!

That page is looking great. You've captured the atmosphere of a dark rainy day really well and I even get a sense of the character too from just one wordless page. My favourite detail is right at the bottom right where you've left the lines describing the far off buildings unfinished. It really gives a sense of the haze of rain bouncing off the street in the distance. It's just a subtle detail but I think it really adds to the atmosphere.I cannot wait to read this book. Any ideas of the title yet?

Cadwell: thanks, Adam! I'm glad you were able to get a sense of character and atmosphere -- those two things are what I'm really trying to concentrate on getting across with the art in this book. As for a title for the book -- haven't worked that out yet. I figure I'll decide once most of it is complete.

Mike: thanks, Mike! The webcomic will be up around August 18th on the Transmission X site.

Please note that I do not do accept any private commissions (comic character sketches, family portraits, etc). I also do not sell any prints of my work online. Sketches and prints can usually be purchased at events that I am personally attending. Thanks for your understanding.

Upcoming Appearances

Wizard World, New Orleans, Jan 9-11th, New Orleans
I'll be making an appearance down south in New Orleans for the Wizard World convention, signing books and selling prints and sketches.

More events are planned for 2015. I'll post details here when things are confirmed.